Colorado Avalanche: Pre-Hockey Hiatus Look at Andre Burakovsky

Colorado Avalanche winger Andre Burakovsky is just the kind of speedy skill player the team prizes. He’s helped with secondary scoring.

The Colorado Avalanche are about 50 days into their hockey hiatus per the NHL’s pause. Their self-isolation with families is supposed to end today. The NHL is even considering what a return to play can look like.

Here in Colorado, safer at home is just starting to be implemented. For better or for worse, we’re starting to see things open up.

More from Mile High Sticking

We’ve been spending the hockey hiatus looking at how players were doing before the season got paused. Here are some of the players we’ve looked at:

We’re taking a look at some of the players who are in top-six roles for Colorado. Today, we’re going to consider how winger Andre Burakovsky was faring before the hockey hiatus went into effect.

Brief History of Andre Burakovsky

Though Andre Burakovsky was born in Austria, his family was only there so his father could play hockey. He’s a Swedish national. The Washington Capitals selected him in 2013 with their 23rd-overall draft pick.

Up until the draft, he’d been playing with the Malmo Redhawks at different levels. After the draft, he signed his entry-level contract with Washington but joined the Erie Otters of the OHL for a season. The next year, he played 13 games in the AHL but spent most of the season with the Capitals.

Burakovsky spent the next four seasons with Washington. He even won the Stanley Cup with them in 2018. However, he was getting left behind on a talented and skilled Caps team, so he requested a trade.

The Avalanche acquired Burakovsky on July 1, 2019. He was a pending restricted free agent. He signed a one year show-me contract.

Andre Burakovsky Stats with the Colorado Avalanche

Naturally, most of Andre Burakovsky’s stats are with the Washington Capitals. He played 328 games with Washington. In that time, he recorded 62 goals and 83 assists for 145 points. In 56 playoff games, he recorded 9 goals and 9 assists for 18 points.

His best season with Washington saw him earn 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points in 79 games.

Burakovsky already made career bests in all three categories with the Avs in just 58 games. He recorded 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points. He skated in the top-six for the most part.

Evaluation of Andre Burakovsky with the Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche love their reclamation projects, and that’s what Burakovsky was when they traded for and signed him. He was supposed to be the player who just couldn’t get his chance with the original club, but now it would work out in a new city.

Guess what — this time it did. As noted, Burakovsky recorded career highs in all categories before the season had even ended. He became the player Washington drafted for but couldn’t develop because of the existing talent on the team.

Burakovsky has fit in with the team’s style of play. He’s a speedy, skilled winger and just what Colorado needed for secondary scoring.

The Colorado Avalanche have such a good lineup this season, including Burakovsky. Here’s to hoping they can pick up where they left off.

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